Having been forgotten at Apple’s ‘Let’s talk iPhone’ event back in October, the completely redesigned iPhone 5 is now on track for a Fall 2012 launch, according to a “close source” who is familiar with Apple’s plans. And like the iPad, the sixth-generation device will reportedly sport an aluminum rear casing, with a rubberized bezel much like Apple’s iPhone 4 bumper cases.

The Gorilla glass that currently houses the fourth- and fifth-generation iPhones — which is notoriously susceptible to cracks and smashes — will be replaced by aluminum for the sixth-generation device, according to the source, who has passed information on to Boy Genius Report. The device will also adopt a rubber or plastic bezel that is designed to cover the antennas:

We have also learned that Apple is planning to use a rubber or plastic material — similar to the material used in the company’s bumper cases — that will be built into the new iPhone case. In all likelihood, this material will be used as a bezel surrounding the front edge of the phone (like the iPhone 3GS bezel) and it will serve two purposes. First, it will join the glass iPhone face with a new aluminum back plate. It will also cover a redesigned antenna system that surrounds the device, allowing Apple to build the rear case out of aluminum without having to use a large plastic insert above the antennas as the company does on its iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G.

Rumors claiming an aluminum casing will feature on the iPhone 5 have been circulating for many months now — long before the release of the iPhone 4S — but this is the first we’ve heard of a rubber or plastic bezel. It certainly sounds like a good idea, but will it be pretty?

The problem with a rubber bezel is it will be a magnet for pocket lint.

Seth Chapman

Why can’t they just, for once, make a phone that’s either: a) designed for a specific case, that doesn’t increase the phone’s thickness dramatically, or b) Make a phone that doesn’t need a case (or a backplate). Something that is highly resistant to scratches, cracks, abrasions, etc. That’d be worth eating the cost of the non-early upgrade.

minimalist1969

I know the idea of an aluminum unibody iPhone is appealing to people who photoshop iPad press photos into supposedly leaked production shots (it makes their job easier as they can just cut up the iPad press shots), but has anybody ever stopped to consider that the first iPhone had an aluminized paint on the back and it affected the antenna’s range? There is a reason Apple went with plastic and glass backs on the 3G, 3GS, 4, and 4S. And it wasn’t just because they thought it would unify their product line’s looks.

minimalist1969

Because in the modern electronics market its ALL about the accessories. From 40 dollar ink cartridges, to 35 dollar plastic cases, to 50 dollar HDMI cables. The accessories are almost pure profit.

joewaylo

Well there’s always the possibility they solved the aluminum antenna problem by making 3G built into the plastic apple logo. However they may do away with the aluminum one day in light of several hazard violations that have been brought up in the news. Including two factory explosions due to combustable aluminum dust.————–They also missed several features the iPhone has today. Unless Apple decides to do away with the flash using HDR as the primary source, they need to add the LED flash lightbulb. They also forgot the mute switch, the regulatory icons (FCC, CE, etc), and production info.

Petey Wolfinger

Question: If iPhone 4 was Apple’s fourth iPhone, wouldn’t the next iPhone be the iPhone 6? Just something to think about.

THANK YOU. I don’t know why everyone is calling it the iPhone 5. The next iPhone is the 6th iPhone. It will not be the iPhone 5.

Arron Hunt

Exactly. Instead of doing a brand new iphone every year, they do updates on odd years. So next will be

iPhone 5iPhone 5SiPhone 6iPhone 6Setc.

So we really won’t see the iPhone 6 until year 2014

Arron Hunt

This mock up doesn’t have a flash…

recyclops117

The original iPhone had an aluminum back

Javier A. Williams

Sorry you’re wrong… 2012 will see Apple introduce the iPhone 6. The “5” tag was a place holder but relates to the iPhone 4S. Apple either names their phones after a place holder of a specific feature. So bet that the 2012 iPhone will either be 6 because it will be the 6 phone the produced or it will be named after some special feature like iPhone HD or iPhone LTE. It will NOT however be called iPhone 4G or iPhone 5.

minimalist1969

And it also had reception issues that caused apple to switch to the plastic back on the 3G model. And technically the 1g was plastic with an aliminized dust finish. Solid aluminum would wreak even more havoc.

minimalist1969

Aluminum is aluminum. Cellular antennas do not like being wrapped up in it. Nor do they like being forced to use a tiny apple logo to as their window to already weak signals. This is why almost the entire top of the 3G iPad is detailed in a black plastic Antennas need space to breath. Unless they want the entire top or bottom of an aluminum iPhone to be detailed as a black plastic strip I’m guessing to allow the antenna to work properly, I’m guessing there wont be a “unibody” iPhone.

firesign

Yeah, lets all regurgitate BGR because they were so right about the iPhone 5..oops I mean 4S.

scapelle

There’s no way Apple would go from 4S to 6 in their naming convention. The general public would have no idea what had happened to the 5 that they would have expected to follow after 4. I would be willing to be that the next phone will be titled iPhone 5. Naming it iPhone 6 may be technically correct, but only Apple geeks would understand why.

prof_peabody

Your kinda just making crap up here. The aluminium dust explosion thing has been around as long as people have mined and manufactured things in aluminium. It happens all the time and is nothing unusual at all. It’s the same thing that happens with the dust in a grain silo which has also been happening since practically the dawn of time. There is no “hazard” in using aluminium and there is no such thing as a “hazard violation.”

prof_peabody

I have no idea what the new iPhone will look like but I know it won’t look like the one in the picture.

Any new iPhone pretty much has to be a *better* design than the current one and actually *look* better as well. Otherwise, why switch at all?

Until some rumour site can come up with a mock-up of something that fits those two items, it isn’t worth bothering with.

Aluminium ‘iPad like” back == *worse* design, nothing new, and kind of ugly next to the current iPhone. You don’t really have to even think further than that.

prof_peabody

the pattern of odd year major updates is the most likely, but you are forgetting that Apple has never yet given a phone a number that’s *less* that the year of the version. So if they name next year’s phone the iPhone 5 that will be a first time for that pattern. 6 is more likely than 5 but something completely different is even more likely than 6 since there isn’t really any established pattern yet.

sp12

Finally, concrete proof of what the next iPhone will look like. Who can deny the ‘source’ right?

Jeff Mitchell

This is all such complete BS. No one knows what Apple will do until they do it. All this endless speculation and rumour-mongering is like farting into the wind…a complete, and utter, waste of time and muscle power.

charliesheenhardcore

I don’t think any rubber or plastic will be used. I just don’t see how they can go from such a high end design like the 4 and down grade in material. Glass and steal make the phone stand out. I could never see them using rubber or plastic again.

About the author

Killian Bell is a staff writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.

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